Using A549, HTB182, CRL5810, and CRL5922 lung cancer cells, results obtained from our caspase-3 activation studies demonstrated that the presence of low-levels of triptolide caused a great increase in cisplatin-induced caspase-3 activation in these lung cancer cells whereas the presence of triptolide or cisplatin alone had little effect in activating the caspase-3 in these lung cancer cells. This evidence concerns the gene CASP3 and lung cancer.